Process of making nail-strings.



F. L. MACKENZIE.

PROCESS OF MAKING NAIL STRINGS. APPLICATION FILED 00114.1914.

1,241,868. Patented 0% 2,1917.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

EEED L. MACKENZIE, E BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIGNO T0 UNITED sHoE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 01? NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rnooEss or MAKING NAIL-STRINGS.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

To all whom it mayconoern 7 Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Processes of Making NaiL Strings, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

' This invention relates to fastenings and particularly fastenings of the type commonly termed string nails.

1 String nails are used for the most part in shoe nailing or tacking machines and the ordinary nail string supplied for such machines comprises a series of-nails formed in one integral string, usually with the point or end of the shank of one nail connected to 1 some part of the head of the next nail. In

use the nail string is carried upon a reel and the nailing machine is provided with a combined feeding and cutting tool which engages the head of the nail to be driven, feeds it into 'the throat of the machine, and severs it from the string. The mechanism of the machine for handling these nails is, therefore, very simple, and for many purposes it would be desirable to employ string nails if they could 'be manufactured economically, and could be'provided with heads suflicient to prevent their being pulled through the parts which are to be secured together by them.

Up to the present time nail strings have been made by two processes or by a combination of these two processes, the first process consisting in successively pressing or swaging the nail form into a continuous strand of wire, and the second process consisting in punching or dieing the nail string out of a flat strip or ribbon. The firstprocess is illustrated in the patent to L. Goddu, No. 190,575, May 8, 1877, and the second process is illustrated in the patent to G. Goddu, No. 641,099, January 9, 1900. A combination of these processes is shown in the patent to G. Goddu, No. 599,933, March 1 1898.

When a string nail is formed by punching or dieing the nail out of a strip or ribbon, it is important, if the nail is to be used as a permanent fastening, that it have formed thereon a considerable head projecting to one or both sides of the shank in the plane of the strip, since it is obviously not possible without a swaging operation to cause the head to project over the flat sides of the nail shank. siderable head, is shown in the patent to Dobyne, No. 1,058,661, April 8, 1913, and is manufactured, as shown and described in said patent, by removing from one sideof a continuous ribbon pieces of such shape that a string of nails may be formed, each having a distinct head and a distinct shank. The pieces removed from the ribbon are thrown away and therefore constitute waste in the manufacture of the nail string.

An object of the present invention is an improved process of making nail strings, of the general type shown in said patent to Dobyne, by which the waste will be very materially reduced.

This and other objects and important aspects of the invention will appear from the following description and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 illustrates my novel process of making nail strings, and shows a preferred form of nail string produced by it; and

Fig. 2 illustrates my novel process in connection with a somewhat different form of nail which may be produced by it.

In order to reduce the waste due to cutting out material from the strip or ribbon to form a nail having a distinct head and a distinct shank, the present invention contemplates the formation of two nail strings from a single strip or ribbon in such manner that the part of the material which would be cut out and thrown away in the formation of the head and shank, when making the string from a ribbon of the width of the string, is now utilized in forming the head and a part of the shank of a nail upon the other nail string. By the improved process of this invention it has been found that the saving in material, which would otherwise be thrown away, is as much as 66%.

In carrying out the process, the material removed to form the distinct heads and shanks of the nails in the strings is preferably removed from the two strips at a single operation. As shown inthe drawings the outer straight edges of the ribbon or A nail of this type, having a constrip are utilized as the straight edges of the nail strings, and the two strings are cut from theribbo'n or'strip instichr'nanne'r thatbefore being separated their heads overlap with the strings extending in opposite di-' rections. V

The nail which constitutes the nail unit of the string "shown iii Fig. 1 comprises a shank 2 having a straight edgeega-whiehx is the edge of the ribbon or strip from which the r'ia i-l string is out, an inclinedfedgeb and the head 14' of thisf nail fha'viiig parallel upper and lower "edges 16' and 18 extending at substantially right" angles toxthe edge, 4.-

In cutting the snail string from the ribbon of strip the niate'riail to bereniovedzto *form.

the distinct head and shank of eaeh nail is preferably punched from :the strip, each puiichiiig removing this material. from two opposed nails; a's shownatzQO in Figs: 1 and 2, and the strings are then separated from each otherin the ribbon or strip by being sheared apart along the dotted line 22; Figs. 1 and'2. The punchingand-shearing operation's may take place in succession or Es'nbstantially' SiI'I'I'hlbZLIIBOHSlY. "Preferably; how ever, the shearing operation fellows the p'i'inchiiig op'eratioinathe strip being punched in a step bystep manner, and-the shearing steps either alternating with the punching steps-or being performed in step by step manner ata projberly spaced interva-l from the "point where the punching operation-is beingperformed. i i I An inspectionof either Fig. '1 or .2 will make apparentthe amount ofsaving efiected by this process. By drawing a straight line fromthat side-of the nail head which-lies within the strip to the "corresponding, side of the nextfna'il head; the amount of material which wouldbe cutQ-o'ii to form a P 'c'orrespdndingnail string from a strip of the proper width td form asingle string-can readily be determined; and the amount of this material can then be compared with :the size of the punching 20 which is removed in forming thetwo strips; and'at the same time the amoiint of the ordinarily wasted material which is utilized vin forming the headand a part of the shank of the opposed nail o'f the second nail string can also be determined. This is shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The dottedline a'c shows the pdsaidn oi the edge of a strip from which a single nail striiig is to be formed.- The "waste perna-il' is indicated by me are may. The "waste .per nail where my novel process :is used is see-nah": ofthearea agf, or one-half of the punching which has been found, in the case of certain shapes of nails; to be' oiily one-third of \the former amount. It is thus seen that great economies are made possible by my novel process; The novel'stringnail and nail stringdisclosed herein are 'clainred sists in removing from ribbon or strip of material pieces each ahavingan outline corresponding to the area between .opposed nails of the desired for m arranged'inpp-V posed strings with the heads ofi one string overlappingqthe headset the otheris tring, and separating :the strip in'to: -two strings by cuts, along lines corresponding to ithe lines, of contactv (of opposed :strings having" the defined relation to each? other.

pro sse 2. That improvement in; processesiof o making .nail strings composed of nails having-distinct heads and shanks; whichcod. sists in removing 1 from a ribbon {or strip of material pieces each having, an I ontline earresponding to; the area between opposed nails of the desired iorm arranged inopposedstrings extending-"in opposite directions withthe heads-oi one string events ping :the heads of'the-otherstring and in contact,- and separiating the strip into two strings ;by cuts alongv lines corresponding to the lines of contact of opposed strings havingthe-defined relation to each other.

3. That improvement in rocesses, or making nail strings composed of nailslihaving .heads extending to one, side of the shanks thereof, which consists .in removing fronia ribbon =or istrlijp of material pieces each havingianoutlineicorres ending to the area betvveen o pposed nails 0 the described form arranged in opposed striiigs eitendiii-g in opposite directions, with the heads er one stringoverlappingthe heads of the other string and havingtheir, end races in eoritat and havingtheir side faces in- .coht ac t with the shanks of theopposed nails and then separating the heads from each other and fromgtheshanksiof theopposed -nails." 4. That improvement in processes of making nail strings composed of nails hav ing heads extending tofo'rfie 'si e er f; the shanks and having projections extending from the under sides of the theadspwliih consists in removing from a r'ibbohcif strip of material pieces each having an outline corresponding to the area between opposed nails of the described form arranged in opposed strings extending in opposite directions, with the heads of one string overlapping the heads of the other string, and having their end faces in contact and having their side faces, including the side faces of the downward projections, in contact with 10 the shanks of the opposed nails and separating the heads from each other and from the nail shanks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRED L. MACKENZIE.

Witnesses CHESTER E. Rooms, ABBIE L. FREAK.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

